#IDARB Review

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www.the-game-domain.com

Published:11:46Wednesday 04 February 2015

If i wanted to play NES games, i could easily buy a cheap system and games off eBay for around £30 but i was weirdly drawn to this game. There was just something about it. #IDARB, nope its not a typo resulting from me thinking im a typing expert by trying to take a sip of my coffee, stand on my head and type this article. The titles meaning is just as weird, IDARB stands for “It draws a red box” but developers Other Ocean have put nothing relating to the title into the games’ code. Its a whirr into the past. Simply put its an 8-bit-esque simple football stroke hockey stroke volleyball stroke MOBA game, i know, what a mouthful.

There surprisingly is some sort of a story about bad blood but its entirely irrelevant. Its like playing FIFA for its plot-line, just silly, but the decent thing the story mode does help with is breaking the ice with the game. You start off by playing against one other opponent then it gradually pits you off against bigger teams. You’ll be more focused on kicking off the next match and once it starts, you’ll be on edge until the end. Things are super fast paced and escalates into chaos very quickly as your team and the opposition fight for control of an 8-bit ball. Its at times incredible fun, especially when you’re half cut with your pals but sometime especially on single player, things can get frustrating.

#IDARB

Your main aim is to score more goals than the other team but with stages designed like Smash Bros-like levels but not as animated, its quite tricky. The goal is fairly large and unless there is another player playing with you, there is no goalkeeper meaning you can just score to your hearts content. On the more chaotic matches, the screen can be filled with action. My favorite past time with #IDARB is trying trick shots. Some of which awards more points, think basketball. Passing is surprisingly tougher than scoring. Giving your mate the ball is a huge challenge as player sprites are miniscule onscreen but if an opponent steals the ball, you can just emit a little shock wave to attack the player, causing them to release the ball and allow the chaos to continue.

#IDARB’s secret weapon under its bonnet is the “Hashbomb”. This cool feature is triggered cleverly by any user on twitter mentioning the games title which explains why the hashtag is in the title. Once triggered, a different feature is triggered like changing players into clowns, distractions like jump scares and even a funny reenactment of Rick Astley singing his infamous ballad. These things brighten up the game profusely.

The game is entirely 8-bit with teams ranging from cops, farmers, spacemen to user created characters from popular video games or even Disney characters. The possibilities here are endless. Its smartly made, endless fun but not visually pleasing unless you’re a fan of the games of old.

Pros

Endless cast of characters

Fast paced and never slows down

Great multiplayer fun that is a great laugh

Retro-esque graphics

Hashbombs!

Cons

Sometimes frustrating when playing alone

Too easy to score

Minimal animations

Summary

#IDARB is a clever game disguised as a late arrival of the 80’s era. Your TV screen will burst at the seams thanks to the endless chaos onscreen which is fantastic fun with mates but on your own, it can lead to undesirable frustrations. The cast of characters and user created sprites adds wild imagination and keeps the game fun. The Hashbombs......oh those hashbombs! Hilarious!